25 swimmers for this mornings swim.
Still some rough seas so we thought it best to take the halfway option.
Water was quite good considering, apart from that it was a pretty uneventful but nice swim.
Pics below from James:
B&B On tour: Double Trouble
Mahdi and Vicki at the Salt Mines 400 steps 135metres down in Krakow Poland
Fact of the day: The average human produces enough spit in a lifetime to fill two swimming pools!
Picture of the day: Check out, this is how they taught swimming back in the old days. Apparently Julie still uses this method. My only question is…. Where the hell has the instructor tied the other end of the string? (Ouch)
I know we mentioned it was rough yesterday but as proof, check out this pic I took. The guy is jumping off the rock at the point. – Crazy.
Water Temperature – Warm
Air Temperature – Toasty
Sunrise 6.27am.
Sunset 5.30pm.
High Tide: when the water is up to the boat ramp
Low Tide: when you can walk out to the point
Hope your enjoying the blog….
Tim
24 comments
Gaétan
August 22, 2011 at 9:24 am
Hello World,
B&Bs really is such an amazing big family! It’s so cool to read everyone’s comments, and it makes me realise how fortunate I was to attend Iain’s swim! Thanks for the invite Iain :-))
So here’s some photos as everyone is waiting for them, I will try to upload a video tomorrow.
https://picasaweb.google.com/104511652444884019896/IainMcGregorSChannelCrossingTraverseeDeLaMancheALaNage?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKOimpyryKDrTA&feat=directlink
Few things on my sleepy mind:
1- I will never swim the Channel
2- I really mean it, I will NEVER swim it!
3- Dover is a beautiful little harbour town. Despite being such a busy stretch of water, the Channel looked very clean and beautiful to me.
4- Why is England still not using the Euro?
5- Absolutely amazing sunsets and sunrises there (better than Manly?)
6- I crossed the channel 4 times in 36 heures, could that possibly be a record? 🙂
7- If you thought a 30min AU$7 Manly ferry ride was expensive, try a 1.5hour AU$45 ride across the Channel, it takes it to a new level 😉
8- It is possible to survive a whole day on Mars bars and candy snakes. That was my breakfast/lunch/dinner yesterday. Next time I’ll bring a few baguettes and some snail Pâté :-))
9- if you are thinking about it, listen to me, don’t do it, do not swim accross the Channel! It’s definitely worth spending au$45 on a ferry ticket!
10- 213. The number of Tankers, container ships and ferries I counted during the swim.
11- Bruce (Baird), I remember you telling me about the lovely time on your 3 week cruise in the mediterranean sea last month. Not sure how you do it, I spent 21 hours on a boat yesterday and it was torture 🙂
12- 16.5 degrees was the water temperature
13- Spending a sunny day on a boat with no sun cream is NOT a good idea at all!
14- 30km in 4 hours… time it took us to get back after engine failure on boat (apparently it overheated as a result of running way too slow for several hours…hmmm… we know who to blame :-)))
15- “h” key on my laptop is a bit broken, so you may see lots of “h” missing in whatever i typed
To Iain:
1- WELL F*&^%$ (excuse mon francais) DONE! From what I saw being fit really is only 50% of what is needed to do the crossing. Mental strength really is the key point, specially in the last few hours where you actually drifted North or South parallel to the coast for kilometers without even getting closer to it. Congrats mate and start training for your double next year, I’ll be there 🙂
2- Your friend Richard is a gem, he looked after you as if you were his own son, and I understand he’s been doing that for the whole week. He’s a serious candidate for the “Nicest man in the world” contest, Michel will have to fight back (btw Michel, if you read this, I need a new TV :-))
Maybe we should have a B&B badge / plaque / page on blog for those people who are always doing amazing things to help us out? Let’s organise a cake or something when he comes down to Sydney to visit his (real) son in October.
3- Apologies but you need to blame the tide for taking you to the wrong landing place, those topless french girls I organised were waiting for you 2km South. Oh well, a good reason to do it again 😉
4- 1238. The number of seagulls (or similar noisy and irritating birds) who did a rotation above your head to check out your pink outfit. It was actually funny to see them doing a 360 around you to check what this chubby fluo pink weird looking fish was and then leaving disappointed 🙂
5- Talking about sea life with my Taxi driver in Calais, she was telling me that local newspapers were reporting today that French coast guards noticed a very rare “baleine rose” (pink whale) that beached itself shortly after 5pm yesterday (saturday) just south of Calais. I thought you may found this story interesting 🙂
6- you might be a good swimmer but you need to dramatically improve your running skills, you came 2 meters short from reaching the sink :-)))))))))))
7- Sorry maybe I should not have mentioned point 6, people may ask for more details :-))
8- Sorry again, I should not have mentioned point 7, people are definitely going to ask for more details now hahahaha 🙂
Bed time, have a good day world!
PS: Tim/Linda, your blogs are hilarious ahahahaha! BTW Tim this pic at the point if amazing, the sky color is fantastic!!!!
Lesley
August 22, 2011 at 9:52 am
The photos are fabulous Gaeten – It looked like a perfect day – The arrival shots are terrific – I didn’t realise there were White Cliffs there as well!! Well done to Richard – he sounds like a champ – the sort of person you want at the end to rub your back. And Gaeten I loved your feedback above – made me laugh…I felt I was there with you and completely agree with point 1, 2 and 11. My guess is points 6/7/8 refer to Iain throwing up?? 😉
CAn’t wait to see you guys and hear more!
Tim and Linda have really enjoyed your blogs / pics and Facts! Very funny….
Todays pics show how much ‘warmer’ it has been. AND the best part is there is a small warm patch on the way to Shelly!
Lucy McFadden
August 22, 2011 at 9:53 am
Congratulations Iain!! What a fantastic achievement!! And thank you for the hilarious commentary and all the photos…so nice on a Monday morning 🙂
Collie Dog
August 22, 2011 at 9:54 am
Gaetan, many, many, many thanks from Sophie and I. Few would realise that no matter how good a swimmer is, a good crew works almost as hard as the swimmer on the day and when a swimmer looks up after 10 hours it is only the commitment that he or she sees in their I eyes that will get them thru.
Linda
August 22, 2011 at 10:08 am
Again, all I can manage is WOW WOW WOW WOW Iain that really is amazing. Geatan you are a true but very funny friend for being there for support.
Great Pictures and awesome commentary, excellent reading for a
Monday morning.
See you both when you return x
Rob
August 22, 2011 at 10:20 am
congrats again Iain on your great achievment. 15 14 sounds like a biblical reference …maybe you should go by “Saint Iain” ..patron saint of salt water …well done! Rob
izzy
August 22, 2011 at 11:47 am
what a team! next time Geatan can swim the north pole and Iain can treck through the snow.
What a fabulous achievement Iain – so proud of you.
It simply CAN’T be true that you were seasick after enduring that swim? Could the world be that cruel? Seasickness is the worst!
photos and blog beaut thanks Geatan. And Saint Iain … what can we say??? you are a champion.
Play time now young men!
lotsaluv
izzzz
Anna Alvsdotter
August 22, 2011 at 11:48 am
Merci beaucoup Gaetan, wonderful to start the week with a great belly laugh! You are an amazing friend and a beautiful soul. So glad to know both you and Iain.
Give Richard a big thank you hug from us; we’ll certainly make him feel welcome when he comes to Sydney.
Little Tiger
August 22, 2011 at 11:59 am
Absolutely amazing photos,. Wonderful achievement to Iain and “two of the nicest men in the world’ .
Neil
August 22, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Great swim Great photoes and dialog. Thanks for sharing.
Stephen Coulter
August 22, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Fantastic Photos Gaetan and commentary!
Nick
August 22, 2011 at 2:38 pm
Awesome Iain, Superlative Gaetan, Brilliant photo’s and script. Looking forward for your return. My shout !
Stephen Coulter
August 22, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Iain,
Trust you’re recovering well and your sea legs are now getting to the sink! Also hope your Dardenelle training is going well since you have al these extra days to prepare!!!
You’ll be pleased to hear your Celebrity status has been advised to Power Yoga and you will be receiving some complementary classes to enjoy and slim down!!
Tacomajim
August 22, 2011 at 3:26 pm
Iain,
Trust that you are recovering by now. What an achievement. The home team is in awe. You truly came from nowhere to do this. Lucky we all are to be able to see and read about it so quickly. Love the pics and commentary. Thanks so much, Gaetan.
Brendan Maher
August 22, 2011 at 4:10 pm
Gaetan, your photos and commentary are fantastic. Iain, what an achievement, I’m sure I can’t fully comprehend what it was like to swim that far and for that long in 16.5 degree water. I’m sure there were many highs and lows; looking forward to hearing all about it, again and again, when you return. Iain McGregor, English Channel swimmer.
Stephen Coulter
August 22, 2011 at 4:30 pm
Did you know twice as many people have climbed Mount Everest than swum the English Channel!
Sarah Abbott
August 22, 2011 at 4:36 pm
Gaetan, Ian – simply amazing – just love the pics, commentary and blogs
Tim & Linda, great job!!! Hilarious -the blog gets better & better
And Jules, looks like the B&B cossies passed the Channel test:-)
Stephen, thx for the reassuring diagram:-))
Pacific Jules
August 22, 2011 at 5:36 pm
Gaetan thanks so much for the commentary, just brilliant and wonderful photos, they made me feel emotional and so proud of Iain, our true open water champion, from zero to hero in 15 small hours and 14 smaller minutes 🙂
Gaetan what an amazing friend, and as for Richard we can’t wait to meet you. It’s good to see that the competition for Boy Michel’s title is rife, and that B&B are the recipients of all this ‘niceness’ 🙂
As for the blogs, they’re brilliant, thanks Tim and Linda :-). I think you’ve found yourself a new daily job… 🙂
John
August 22, 2011 at 5:47 pm
Great photos Gaetan – a comprehensive coverage of Iain’s epic Channel crossing. I especially liked the shots of him as he neared the French beach. Looking forward to Iain describing his experience. Once again congratulations Iain,our Channel champion.
Stephen Coulter
August 22, 2011 at 6:12 pm
I think the high and low tides are the most accurate yet!
Iain
August 22, 2011 at 6:53 pm
Gaetan,
You are an absolute champion mate. Richard and myself have been laughing ourselves silly this morning as we looked back at your great photography work and hilarious commentary.Still wiping a few tears away. Thank you Thank you Thank you.
Everyone I continue to be amazed at all your ongoing support and can’t thank you enough for being part of the swim.
Looking back I can say that the 20th of August 2011 was one the the toughest and greatest days of my life. For me that swim was a titanic battle that has pushed me so far beyond the boundaries of what I thought I could do 2 years ago when I first started swimming with the B&B.
I’m currently trying to write everything down and get a clear message/story across to you all. I think that in many ways Gaetan was more aware of what was going on than me for the day. My story is much more about having my head down in the water and swimming through a spectrum of emotions all been embraced or discarded depending on whether they could get me closer to the sweet shores of France. As Gaetan stated so much of this swim was mental and that is why I cannot tell you all enough the extra strength one finds in having such a great group of people as the B&B.
Love to everyone
Iain
Anna Alvsdotter
August 22, 2011 at 7:23 pm
Aaaaw, that’s noice.
:)))
Roberto
August 22, 2011 at 7:58 pm
Iain,
needles to say – I want to hear about every stroke.
Congartulations – you have now done the double – the channel swim and the shelly beach swim
You are a champ
Vicki Harbutt
August 23, 2011 at 2:16 am
Iain
Just heard the great news. Congratulations !!! We will need your advice whilst we are crossing the Dardanelles ??? We might also need the encouragement as the day is now approaching fast & nerves are gathering…..You are a legend.
From double trouble, Mahdi & Vicki